For large-scale revegetation work such as occurs during highway construction, large residential or commercial building construction, or mine or landfill reclamation, application of hydraulically applied fiber matrix compositions is an efficient aid to control soil erosion and aid in revegetation. In general, existing hydraulically applied fiber matrix compositions are typically placed or left on or near a soil surface to protect the soil and seed from water and wind erosion, reduce evaporation from the soil surface, increase the humidity of the soil, moderate temperature fluctuations at the soil surface, dissipate the energy of falling water droplets to decrease disturbance of the soil surface, and otherwise aid in the establishment of vegetation. Once applied to the soil surface, the hydraulically applied fiber matrix composition forms a 3-dimensional mat to aid in erosion control and the revegetation process. Hydraulically applied fiber matrix compositions are also useful in providing a cover layer to protect refuse at a waste disposal site, or a sanitary or hazardous waste landfill.
Various materials have been used as mulches. Such materials have included straw, composted matter, manure, shredded bark and wood, fabric, and plastic film. Straw and hay are somewhat effective, but contaminate the seed bed with weed seeds. Among the common mulch materials, plastic film is used with many cash crops, e.g. vegetables and ornamentals, due to its low cost and effectiveness in weed control and elevating soil temperature. Among the disadvantages of plastic film are poor distribution of irrigated water and the need to strip the film from fields after the growing season, as plastic film is not biodegradable. Additionally, plastic film does not improve soil as organic mulch materials can do when incorporated into the soil. Pelletized mulches are weed-free, and can be applied with standard rotary or drop spreaders. However, such mulches are dense. Because of their density, it would be necessary to apply these mulches at an extremely high rate in pounds per area in order to cover a substantial amount of the seed bed area. Consequently, mulch pellets are applied to cover only a portion of the seed bed. As a result, they are not as effective as other mulches in protecting the underlying seed bed. Other compositions form a crusted or continuous film that blocks seed germination, or are too expensive in their preparation and application to be commercially feasible. Still other hydraulically applied fiber matrix compositions are not biodegradable and need to be physically removed.